Label applying machine



March 1954 s. B. SCHWARTZ ET AL 2,672,251

LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 1N VEN T 0126' i 8.5. Schwartz w Jase vh Muller March 16, 1954 s. B. SCHWARTZ ETAL 2,672,251

LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1952 TSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS B'.Schwalrtz 4 BY Josgvlz/Mwller March 16, 1954 s. B. SCHWARTZ ET AL 2,672,251

LABEL APPLYING MACHINE I Filed Feb. 5, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 [[Wffilll 1' I gs -k I N' Q mg Wu $2 MIN "mul W INVENTORS 5.3.3010 wariz @0 BY Joseph Muller March 16, 1954 s. B. SCHWARTZ ET AL LABEL APPLYING MACHINE '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 5, 1952 IENTORS S. B. Schwartz #4 BY Josqab/ Mu/I/ler S. B. SCHWARTZ ET AL LABEL APPLYING MACHINE March 16, 1954 Filed Feb. 5, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 4 (1% I /'57 MI W V 60 h z "n. 1 3-6 a INVENTORS Siflschwmrtz g4 BY Jose vh Muller March 16, 1954 s. B. SCHWARTZ ET AL 2,672,251

LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTORS [J0 S-BSchwartz 4 BY Joseph Muller Patented Mar. 16, 1954 ITED STATES ATENT OFFICE LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Application February 5, 1952, Serial No. 270,028

9 Claims.

This invention relates to manufacturing and more particularly to an apparatus for applying labels to manufactured fabric articles such as hosiery. While the invention will be described in connection with the application of labels to fabric articles such as hosiery it is to be understood that this is for illustrative purposes only and that the apparatus of this invention may well be utilized in applying labels to a wide variety of articles not necessarily of fabric materials.

In the hosiery industry it has been common practice to secure pairs of socks or other hose together by a label which is termed a rider. This rider is in the form of a strip which is doubled or folded about the superposed pair of socks at any desired location, the rider being secured to the material of the socks by a suitable adhesive. The rider is intended to carry any desired indicia to indicate the origin of the socks, the size, the material of which they may be made or any other desired information.

Heretofore in the hosiery industry the application of these riders has been almost universally a manual operation in which the gummed rider is grasped in the fingers of an operator, the gummed side thereof moistened and the rider applied to the pair of socks by the hands of the operator. Obviously such an operation even with highly skilled personnel is time consuming and materially contributes to the manufacturing costs of the article. As in all routine manual operations of this nature the work becomes very tedious and obviously as the work day progresses the efficiency of the operator will decrease and consequently an automatic apparatus which will perform this operation represents a valuable contribution to the industry.

Many machines have been developed and. utilized to apply labels to many types of articles but prior to the present invention no successful apparatus has been proposed which will apply riders to fabric articles such as hosiery. Various problems arise in connection with this operation such as the compressibility and resiliency of the articles, the susceptibility to damage of the articles catching on projections or pulling the threads thereof, the problem of securely attaching the riders to the articles as well as providing an apparatus of this nature which will be substantially foolproof in operation and which will require little maintenance with consequent loss of time producti n.

It theieiore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for applying riders to hosiery or similar articles entirely automatically and only with the necessity of an operator supply ing the articles and removing them from the machine.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for applying riders to hosiery or other similar articles which is entirely automatic in operation, which is relatively simple in construction and which may be made sufficiently rugged to withstand long periods of usage without the necessity for frequent shutdowns for main tenance, breakage or other reasons.

It is a further object of the invention taprovide an apparatus for automatically applying riders to hosiery or other similar articles and in which the riders may be supplied from -'a relatively large roll and accurately registered in order that all riders will be applied in a similar manner.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an automatic apparatus for applying riders to hosiery or similar articles in which the apparatus is operated entirely from a single source of power and in which a single control serves to initiate operation of the apparatus, the remaincler of the operation being entirely automatic.

t is a further object of the invention to provide an automatic rider applying apparatus for hosiery or similar articles which may be utilized as an individual machine or which may be conveniently combined with feeding means and additional machines in order to facilitate the labeling and packaging of such articles.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing the rider applying apparatus of this invention as viewed from the operator side of the machine;

Fig. 2, a side elevational view of the rider applying apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 and showing the mam operating parts of the apparatus;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary plan view showing the tape feeding means, the means for registering the tape and the means for cutting 01f individual riders;

Fig. 5, a. fragmentary detail plan view showing the tape registration means; I

Fig. 6, a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. i and showing the detent control means for the tape feeding mechanism;

Fig. '7, a fragmentary side elevational view with parts in section for greater clarity and showing the manner in which the rider tape is fed. and applied to the fabric articles;

Fig. 8, a fragmentary sectional view showing U the drive means for the tape feed and the tape gripping and release means;

Fig. 9, a fragmentary view in perspective showing the tape gripping, feeding and releasing means;

Fig. 10, a sectional view taken on the line l8l8 of Fig. 3 and showing the drive means for the article feed table;

Fig. 11, a sectional view on the line H-H of Fig. 3 and showing the operating means for the rider applying irons;

Fig. 12, a sectional view taken on the line l2l2 of Fig. 3 and showing the operating mechanism for the rider cutoff knife;

Fig. 13, a view in perspective showing the riders as supplied in the form of a tape; and Fig. 14, a view in perspective showing a pair of socks with a rider applied thereto.

With continued reference to the drawings there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a rider applying apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention and having a base plate H] which may be conveniently supported on upstanding legs H. Obviously if desired the base 18 may be supported in any other convenient manner such as from the frame of an apparatus incorporating other machines for operating on the hosiery or other articles to which riders may be applied.

Mounted upon the base 18 and supported thereby is a drive motor 12 to which is attached a reduction gearing 13, the output shaft i i of this reduction gearing serving to carry one element [5 of a one revolution clutch l5. Clutch I6 is provided with a driven member i1 which is secured to a transversely disposed cam shaft l8 rotatably supported on the plate 18 by suitable bearings [9. Cam shaft l8 has fixed thereto cams 28, 21, 22 and 23, the purpose and operation of which will be later described.

As best shown in Fig. 3 one revolution clutch l6 may be of more or less conventional construction, the driving member 15 having a series of teeth 24 in the periphery thereof and the driven member 11 carrying a pawl 25 pivotally mounted at 28 on the member 11. Pawl 25 is normally urged into engagement with the teeth 24 by a tension spring 21. The operation of clutch i5 is controlled by a solenoid 28 having a plunger 29 which when the solenoid 28 is deenergized projects and engages pawl 25 to hold the same out of engagement with the teeth 24. Upon the solenoid 28 being energized to retract the plunger 29, the spring 21 moves the pawl 25 into engagement with the teeth 24 and the driven member I1 is rotated thereby until the pawl 25 again engages the projected plunger 29 to disengage the pawl 25 from the teeth 24 thus interrupting the drive from driving member 15 to driven member [1.

In operation the solenoid 28 is energized to retract the plunger 29 and initiate operation of the cam shaft 18 and the solenoid 28 is immediately deenergized which causes the plunger 29 to project into the path of movement of the pawl 25 and disengage the same from teeth 24 of the driving member I5 upon completion of a single revolution of cam shaft I8. As stated above the structure of clutch I6 is conventional and has only been described in connection with this invention in order to give a full understanding of the structure and operation thereof. Suitable one revolution clutches of other design could be substituted for the clutch IS with equally efficient operation of the apparatus.

As shown in Fig. 13 the riders which are applied by the apparatus of this invention are supplied in the form of a tape 39 each individual rider 3| being indicated by opposed notches 32 in the edges of the tape 30. The individual riders 3| are cut off at opposed notches 32 by a mechanism to be later described. One side of the tape 38 is coated with a thermoplastic adhesive and the opposite side of the tape may be printed or otherwise inscribed with suitable indicia to convey any information which is desired.

As shown in Fig. 2 tape 38 is provided in the form of a roll 33 which is carried by a reel 34 which in turn is supported on an axle 35 carried by a bracket 36 extending upwardly from a shelf 31 projecting from an inclined trackway 98. Trackway 38 is supported from the base plate ID by spaced upstanding posts 40 and by spaced angularly disposed brace members 4|. As best shown in Fig. 9 trackway 38 provides opposed grooves 42 for slidably receiving the edges of tape 30, grooves 42 being formed by upper plates 43 and by lower plates 44. As shown in Figs. 2 and 7 tape 30 extends from the reel 34 downwardly and under a guide roller 45 journalled in spaced brackets 46 and into the grooves 42, the tape 38 being fed downwardly through the grooves 42 in step by step movements as each individual rider 3| is cut therefrom and applied to the work in a manner to be later described.

The mechanism for feeding the tape 30 in step by step movements is best shown in Figs. 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9 and comprises a crosshead 41 extending transversely of the trackway 38 and slidably received in suitable guideways attached thereto. Crosshead 41 is reciprocated by spaced rack bars 48 and 49 slidably received in guideways 50 in track 38.

With particular reference to Fig. 8 rack bar 49 meshes with a pinion gear 51 which is attached to a shaft 52 journalled in the upper end of posts 49. Shaft 52 also carries another pinion gear 53 adjacent the opposite end thereof which meshes with rack bar 48. Shaft 52 is driven by a gear 54 attached thereto and meshing with a vertically slidable rack 55 received within one of the posts 48. Rack 55 in turn meshes with a gear 5b carried by a transversely disposed shaft 51 journalled in a bracket 58 attached to the baseplate l0, shaft 51 also carrying a pinion gear 59. Pinion gear 59 in turn meshes with a horizontally disposed reciprocating rack 60 which is slidably carried in bracket 58. With reference to Figs. 3 and 8 rack 60 carries adjacent its forward end a cam follower 82 which is disposed within a cam groove 63 in cam 22 carried by cam shaft 18.

As will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 3 and 8 upon rotation of cam shaft 18 and cam 22 rack 6|] will rotate shaft 51 and thus reciprocate rack 55 which in turn rotates shaft 52 carrying gears 51 and 53 meshing with rack bars 49 and 48 respectively, reciprocation of these racl: bars resulting in reciprocation of the crosshead 41.

The mechanism for feeding tape 39 as best shown in Figs. 4, '1, 8 and 9 comprises a fixed jaw 83 carried by the crosshead 41 and a movable jaw 64 for cooperating with the jaw 63, jaw 84 being carried by a shaft 65 journalled in spaced bearings 68 and 61 also carried by the crosshead 41. Clamping jaw 63 is provided with a groove 88 and movable clamping jaw 64 is provided with a projection 89 complementary to the groove 63 and mating therewith. As shown in Fig. 7 when the movable clamping jaw 64 is in closed position the projection 69 engages the tape 38 and forces the same into the groove 88 in jaw 63 thus firmly gripping the tape 30 to move the same and at the same time providing a crease the purpose of which will be later described.

Since the jaws 63 and 64 grip the tape 30 upon a downward movement of the crosshead 41 and release the same upon the return movement thereof mechanism is provided to effect movement of the jaw '64 into engagement with the tape 30 to clamp the same and this mechanism must of course operate in timed relation to the reciprocation of crosshead 4! and to the other elements of the apparatus. The mechanism for controlling operation of the clamping jaws 63 and 64 is best shown in Figs. 4, 7, 8 and 9 and comprises an arm 10 fixed to the end of shaft 65 adjacent the bearing 61.. Arm 10 carries on the outer end thereof a pawl or dog H pivotally mounted at 12, dog H being normally urged in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8 by a spring or other equivalent resilient means 13 secured to the arm 10 and to the dog H. A trip plate 14 is secured to an extending portion 15 of the track way 38, trip plate 14 having a portion 15 disposed in the path of movement of the dog H. As will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 8 upon movement toward the right as viewed in Fig. 8 the dog II will ride upwardly over the portion (6 of the trip plate 14 until the same occupies the position to the right of the portion 16. At this time spring 13 will urge the dog counterclockwise to a Dosition where upon return movement of the crosshead 41 carrying arm 70 and dog H the lower portion of the dog will engage the upper edge of portion 1-8 of trip plate 14 and rotate shaft 55 and movable jaw 54 carried thereby in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8 to bring the jaw 64 and projection 69 into engagement with the tape to securely clamp the same in place between the groove 68 of jaw 63 and the movable jaw 64. Further movement of the crosshead 41 toward the left will result in the dog H riding up over the portion 16 of trip plate Hi, this movement being permitted by the spring 73 after which the crosshead and clamping jaws 63 and =64 move toward the left and feed the tape 30 downwardly within the grooves 42 in the trackway 38.

Upon reaching the extreme left hand point of travel as viewed in Fig. 8 the jaws (i3 and 64. must be opened to release the tape 38 and this is accomplished by an arm l? secured to the shaft 65 adjacent the hearing 61;, arm Ti serving to engage a cam '38 in a form of an inclined wedge. Cam i8 is secured to the projecting portion 15 of the trackway as screw threaded fastening means or the like 19. The solid line portion of Fig. 8 shows the arm 5? immediately after engaging the cam l8 at which time the movable clamping jaw M has been moved away from the fixed clamping jaw 63 to release the tape as.

Since the jaws 53 and 64 must be maintained either in a clamping position or in an open position suitable mechanism has been provided in the form of a spring pressed detent as slida bly received in a bore 8! in the hearing 65. The details of this structure are particularly shown in Fig. 6 and the detent 80 is urged inwardly by a compression spring 82 received within a boss 83 which is screw threaded to receive an adjusting screw it'd. Detent ti! engages relatively flat surfaces 85 and 85 formed on the shaft 65 the peak 3! between these flat surfaces serving to move the detent so outwardly upon rotation of the shaft and as will be clearly seen from an inspection of Fig. 6 detent 80 will act to retain the 6 shaft 65 and movable clamping jaw 61 in either a closed or open position depending upon which direction the crosshead 4-! is moving.

As mentioned above the tape 3G is provided with notches 32 in the longitudinal edges thereof and while these notches indicate the dividing line between adjacent riders 3i, notches 2-2 also serve an additional function of permitting the accurate registration of the riders in order that theywill be cut off at the appropriate place and accurately positioned for application to the work.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the mechanism for accurately positioning and registering the riders 3i may comprise a movable plunger 3i! slidably mounted in a block 89 secured to the trackway 38 by screw threaded fastening means or the like 99. Sliciaole member 88 is provided at its inner end with beveled portion 9| which is intended to mate with and register in the notch 32 in one edge of the tape 33. When in engagement with the notch 32 the beveled portion ill serves to aocurately locate the tape 38 and to prevent the movement thereof in either direction upon release of the clamping jaws 5t and $4 therefrom.

Slidable member 88 is normally held in retracted position by a compression spring J2 disposed hetween a shoulder $3 on the outer end of member 88 and a portion of the block 89. Movement of the member 88' in either direction may be limited by extending portions as which are adapted to engage stops formed by the fastening means 98. Slidable member 98 is urged inwardly into engagement with the notches 315 by a cam which is adjustably secured to the crosshead ll by screw threaded fastening means or the like 96 engaging through a slot 9! in the cam 95. Adjustment of the cam by means of the screw threaded fastening means permits the memher 558 to be moved inwardly into engagement with the notches 32 upon the crosshead iii reaching its lowermost position and simultaneously with engagement of the arm l? with cam it to release the clamping jaws 63 and 54 from the tape at.

As shown in Fig. the tape 38 advances downwardly within the grooves 12 of trachway 3E and passes through an aperture 98 in a cutting block so, the function and operation of which will be presently described. Located directly below the cutting block 99 is an inwardly directed guide member Hill which serves to engage the tape after it has passed through aperture 98 and to direct the same into proper operative position.

Cutting block {is is provided with an upper shearing surface 13! and positioned in engagement with this surface is a knife blade m2 which is pivotally mounted at its upon the block Knife blade it: normally occupies the position shown in Fig. 4 out of engagement with the tape 39 but upon the tape reaching a position with the slidable member 85 engaging in a notch 32, the knife blade is? is actuated to swing inwardly about the pivot :53 and to shear the tape at an appropriate location to sever a single rider therefrom. During this movement of the knife blade 182, the same passes within a slot its provided within the block 89.

With particular reference to Figs. 3, 'Z and 12 the operation of the knife blade N12 is accomplished by a bar 35 slidably received in a block I65 supported from a bracket 2:! mounted on the base Ill. Bar I05 is provided at. its outer end with a slot it)? which serves to receive the outer end of knife blade I02 and if desired a pin i as may be provided to link these two parts together. The opposite end of bar I95 is pivotally connected by a pin I09 with a connecting rod IIO which in turn is pivotally connected at III with a bell crank lever I I2. Bell crank lever H2 is pivotally mounted at II3 on a bracket II4 supported on the base plate I0. Bell crank lever II2 also serves to carry a cam follower H5 which is received in a cam groove N6 of cam 23 carried by cam shaft I8. As will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 3, 4 and 12 upon rotation of the cam shaft I the cam 23 and cam groove H3 therein in engagement with the cam follower I I will cause oscillation of the bell crank lever II2 about the pivot II3 which in turn will result in reciprocation of the bar I05, this movement in turn causing oscillation of the knife blade I02 to sever a rider 3| from the tape 30. Operation of the knife blade I82 is of course in timed relation to the operation of the other elements of the machine by reason of the fact that the operating cam 23 is carried by the cam shaft I8 which in turn actuates other cams controlling the movement of the remaining parts of the machine.

As stated above the tape 30 is provided on one side thereof with a thermoplastic adhesive coating which is heat sensitive and therefore must be applied to the fabric articles under the action of heat and pressure. For this purpose there has been conveniently provided in the apparatus of this invention a pair of heated irons I5? and H8, iron II'I' being adjustably supported by bolts IIS on the base plate I0. As best shown in Figs. 3, '7 and 11 the movable iron H8 is carried by an arm I which is pivotally mounted at i2I on an upstanding bracket I22 secured to the base plate I 0. Arm I20 and iron H8 is normally urged toward a position in engagement with the fixed iron II! by a tension spring I23 which may be secured to the arm I20 at I24 and adjustably secured to a portion of the apparatus at I25. For this purpose a cross bar I26 may be secured to the legs II although any other suitable securing means may be provided. The adjustment at I permits varying the tension of spring I23 and therefore varying the pressure with which movable iron I I 8 engages the work supported by fixed iron iI'I.

Movable iron I I8 is actuated by a cam follower I2'I carried by arm I20, cam follower I21 engaging in a cam groove I28 in cam 2I carried by cam shaft I8. It is to be noted that cam groove I28 is provided with such a contour that movement of the arm I20 and iron H8 carried thereby is relatively rapid there being a long dwell in which there is no movement whatsoever of this arm.

Consequently upon positioning of work upon the and heat this rider to securely fix the same to v the article to which the rider is to be applied, likewise the iron I I8 will move rapidly away from the work and consequently prevent scorching 01' burning thereof. Irons I I1 and I I8 may be electrically heated and thermostatically controlled in a manner well known in the art and consequently it is not considered necessary to provide any showing of the electrical connections or control circuit for these irons. In Fig. 11 the movable iron II8 is shown in inoperative position in full lines and in operative position in dotted lines.

As best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and '7 the socks I29 or other articles to which the rider 3| is to be applied may be conveniently placed upon a work table I30 which is slidably mounted for reciprocating movement toward and from the machine upon guideways I3I secured to the base plate I0. Work table I30 is provided in its forward edge at substantially the mid point thereof with a relatively wide notch I32 which serves to receive the irons II! and H8 upon a forward movement of the table I30 to bring the socks or other articles I29 into operative position between the irons II? and H8 to permit application of a rider 3| thereto.

As best shown in Fig. 10 work table I30 is provided with work clamping means in the form of vertically movable plungers I33 slidably received in upstanding tubular members I34 secured to the work table I30. Positioned within the tubular members I34 and engaging the upper ends of plungers I33 are compression springs I35, the compression of which may be adjusted by screw threaded plugs I38 received in the upper ends of tubular members I34. Plungers 33 are provided with arms I37 extending outwardly through slots I38 in the tubular members I34, these arms I37 as shown in Fig. '7 serving to engage the socks or other articles I 29 to firmly clamp the same in place upon the upper surface of work .table I30. With continued reference to Fig. 10 the plungers I33 and clamping arms I3! are actuated by cams I39 secured to the base plate iii, the upper inclined surface I40 of these cams serving to engage the lower end MI of the plungers I33 upon reciprocating movement of the table I38 and as shown in Fig. 10 with the table I30 positioned outwardly in inoperative position, the inclined surface I40 of cams I38 engages the lower ends I4I of the plungers I33 and moves the same upwardly against the action of compression springs I35 thus releasing the clamping arms I31 and the socks or other articles I29 and permitting removal of the same and positioning of a second pair of socks to which a rider 3| is to be applied. Upon movement of the table inwardly to operative position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 10 the ends I4I of plungers I33 slide down the inclined surface I 40 of cams I39 and permit move I ment of the clamping arms I31 into engagement with the socks I29 or other articles under the action of the compression springs I35 to securely clamp these articles in position on the upper surface of table I30.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 10 reciprocatory movement of the work table I30 is accomplished by a connecting rod I42 pivotally connected at I43 to work table I 30, the opposite end of connecting rod I42 being pivotally connected at I44 to an arm I45 the opposite end I46 of which is pivotally connected to a bracket I41 secured to the base plate I 0. Arm I45 serves to carry a cam follower I48 which is received in a cam groove I49 in cam 20 carried by cam shaft I8. Rotation of cam shaft I8 and cam 20 will cause oscillation of arm I45 about pivot I 46 to move connecting rod I42 and table I38 connected thereto inwardly and outwardly and to position the socks I29 or other articles between the irons II! and H8 to permit application of a rider 3I thereto. This reciprocating movement of the table I38 also clamps and releases the articles I29 by means of the clamping arms I31 in a manner as described above. Y

As shown in Fig. '7 the tape 30 is fed downwardly in the grooves 42 of the inclined trackway 38 by intermittent engagement of the clamping jaws 03 and 64 and the projection 69 in the movable jaw 64 pressing the tape 30 into the recess '88 in fixed jaw 63 results in forming a crease I50 in the tape so, this crease serving as shown at the lower left hand side of Fig. 7 to place a bend in the tape 38 thus facilitating bending or folding of the rider 3i around the edges of the socks or other articles 529 when these articles are moved between the irons iii and. M8 by movement of the table I36 toward the right as viewed in Fig. '5. The folding of the rider 3! around the edges of the socks IE9 or other articles results from crease we and the reaction of the outer surfaces of the rider SI with the forward edges of the irons II? and III! when the edges of the socks I29 press against the rider during movement of table I30 toward the right as viewed in Fig. 7.

In operation assuming a roll of tape 33 to be supported by the reel 34 and the tape as to be fed downwardly through the grooves 42 of the inclined trackway 38 and the drive motor I2 to be operating, a pair of socks I29 or other articles are placed on the upper surface of work table with the portion of the socks to receive the rider 35 disposed over the notch I32 in the table with a forward portion of the socks disp .sed beneath the clamping arms I31 on plungers With the socks in place the control means is actuated to energize the solenoid 28 and retract the plunger 29 thus tripping the clutch it and permitting the cam shaft 53 to make one complete revolution thus causing the following sequence of operation. Rotation of cam it causes the arm I 45 carrying the cam follower I68 disposed in cam grooves I49 to oscillate about the pivot I66 thus moving the table use carrying the socks I29 inwardly to bring the forward edges of these socks into engagement with the rider 3i which has been detached from the tape Si by action of the knife I92 which was actuated by the rotation of the cam 23 and oscillation of the bell crank lever H2 which through bar I05 oscillates the knife I82 to perform the cutting action. Further inward movement of the table I343 causes the socks to fold the rider 3I about the forward edge of the same this folding being facilitated by the crease IEG and by engagement of the rider with the forward edges of irons II! and H8. Upon disposition of the socks I29 with the rider folded thereabout between the irons I I1 and I I3 rotation of cam 2| engaging cam follower I21 carried by the arm I20 will result in moving the iron IIS into engagement with the upper surface of the rider folded about the socks and pressing of the rider and socks between the irons II? and H8.

Since these irons are in a heated condition the thermoplastic adhesive applied to the inner surfaces of the rider 3! will be activated to firmly attach the rider 3i to the socks I29. Continued rotation of the cams 2| and 20 will result in the movable iron H8 being moved upwardly away from the rider BI and retraction of the table I3!) to move the socks I29 and rider 3| carried thereby to a position where the socks may be removed from the table, the clamping arms I37 being released by engagement of the plungers I33 with carne- Idd which raise the plungers upwardly and release the clamping arms I31.

During retracting movement .of the table I35! the cam 22 operates to move the rack 60 and through the associated racks .and pinions to reciprocate the crosshead 31 carried by the inclined trackway 38, movable jaw 64 closing to clamp the tape at therebetween and advance the same to bring a new rider 3i into position. The operation of the clamping jaw 54 is fully explained above and further explanation is not considered necessary. Upon completion of one revolution of the cam shaft I8 the clutch I6 is disengaged and the apparatus comes to rest. As will be noted from the above explanation one revolution of the cam shaft I8 is all that is necessary to complete the application of a single rider to a pair of socks or other articles and to advance the tape 30 to bring a new rider into a position for application to the next pair of socks. While normally it is intended that the socks I29 will be manually positioned on the table I33 and removed therefrom, obviously if desired automatic conveying means could be provided which would operate in timed relation to the rider applying apparatus to feed such socks into position and to remove them therefrom.

It will be seen that by the above described invention there has been provided an efiicient compact machine for applying labels in the form of riders to socks or other articles, the apparatus operating from a single source and being controlled by a single electric switch which may be automatically actuated in timed relation with other apparatus or which may be manually actuated to perform simply the rider applying operation. It is susceptible of being fabricated from readily available parts and materials and may be so constructed as to preclude frequent breakdowns and the necessity for extensive maintenance thus materially contributing to the efiicient and low cost application of riders to hosiery or other articles.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and the scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is;

1. Apparatus for applying labels having a thermoplastic coating to articles comprising a base, a drive motor mounted on said base, a cam shaft rotatably supported on said base, a clutch connecting said cam shaft and said motor, a trackway disposed above said base, labels in the form of a roll of tape supported adjacent said trackway, means on said trackway for slidably receiving said tape, feeding means for said tape comprising a crosshead slidably mounted on said trackway for reciprocating movement longitudinally thereof, a fixed clamping jaw carried by said crosshead beneath said tape, a movable clamping jaw pivotally mounted on said crosshead above said tape and cooperating with said fixedjaw to clamp said tape therebetween, means for engaging and disengaging said clamping jaws and operable upon reciprocating movement of said crosshead to grip and release said tape, a knife blade disposed adjacent the exit end of said trackway, means including a cam on said cam shaft for operating said blade to sever individual labels from said tape, a fixed heated iron mounted .on said base, a movable heated iron carried by an arm pivotally mounted on said base, and a cam on said cam shaft for con trolling the movement of said movable iron, a work table reciprocally mounted on said base for movement toward and away from said fixed iron, a notch in the leading edge of said table in alignment with said fixed iron, means including a cam'on said cam shaft to reciprocate said table and means adjacent the exit end of said trackwa-y for positioning a label in front of articles disposed on said table whereby upon forward movement of said table said label will be 11 folded about the edges of said articles and said irons will engage said label and activate said thermoplastic coating to secure said label to said articles.

2. Apparatus for applying labels having a thermoplastic coating to articles comprising a base, a drive motor mounted on said base, a cam shaft rotatably supported on said base, a clutch connecting said cam shaft and said motor, a trackway disposed above said base, labels in the form of a roll of tape supported adjacent said trackway, means on said trackway for slidably receiving said tape, feeding means for said tape comprising a crosshead slidably mounted on said trackway for reciprocating movement longitudinally thereof, a fixed clamping jaw carried by said crosshead beneath said tape, a movable clamping jaw pivotally mounted on said cross head above said tape and cooperating with said fixed jaw to clamp said tape therebetween, drive means including a cam on said cam shaft for reciprocating said crosshead, means for engaging and disengaging said clamping jaws and operable upon reciprocating movement of said crosshead to grip and release said tape, a knife blade disposed adjacent the exit end of said trackway, means including a cam on said cam shaft for operating said blade to sever individual labels from said tape, a fixed heated iron mounted on said base, a movable heated iron for cooperating with said fixed iron and a cam on said cam shaft for controlling the movement of said movable iron, a work table mounted on said base for movement toward and away from said fixed iron, a notch in the leading edge of said table in alignment with said fixed iron, means including cam on said cam shaft to move said table and means adjacent the exit end of said trackway for positioning a label in front of an article disposed on said table whereby upon forward movement of said table said label will be folded about the edge of said article and said irons will engage said label and activate said thermoplastic coating to secure said label to said article.

3. Apparatus for applying labels having a thermoplastic coating to articles comprising a base, a drive motor mounted on said base, a cam shaft rotatably supported on said base, a clutch connecting said cam shaft and said motor, a

trackway disposed above said base, labels in the form of a roll of tape supported adjacent said trackway, means on said trackway for slidably receiving said tape, feeding means for said tape comprising a crosshead slidably mounted on said trackway for reciprocating movement longitudinally thereof, clamping jaws carried by said crosshead, drive means including a cam on said cam shaft for reciprocating said crosshead,

means for engaging and disengaging said clamping jaws and operable upon reciprocating movement of said crosshead to grip and release said tape, a knife blade disposed adjacent the exit end of said trackway, means including a cam on said cam shaft for operating said blade to sever individual labels from said tape, a fixed heated iron mounted on said base, a movable heated iron for cooperating with said fixed iron and a cam on said cam shaft for controllin the movement of said movable iron, a work table mounted on said base for movement toward and away from said fixed iron, a notch in the leading edge of said table in alignment with said fixed iron, means including a cam on said cam shaft to move said table and mean adjacent the exit end of said trackway for positioning a label in 12 front of articles disposed on said table whereby upon forward movement of said table said label will be folded about the edges of said articles and said irons will engage said label and activate said thermoplastic coating to secure said label to said articles.

4. Apparatus for applyin labels having a thermoplastic coating to articles comprising a base, a drive motor mounted on said base, a cam shaft rotatably supported on said base, a clutch connecting said cam shaft and said motor, a trackway disposed above said base, labels in the form of a roll of tape supported adjacent said trackway, means on said trackway for slidably receiving said tape, feeding means for said tape, drive means including a cam on said cam shaft for operating said feeding means, a knife blade disposed adjacent the exit end of said trackway, means including a cam on said cam shaft for operatin said blade to sever individual labels from said tape, a fixed heated iron mounted on said base, a movable heated iron for cooperating with said fixed iron and a cam on said cam shaft for controlling the movement of said movable iron, a work table mounted on said base for movement toward and away from said fixed iron, a notch in the leading edge of said table in alignment with said fixed iron, means including a cam on said cam shaft to move said table and means adjacent the exit end of said trackway for positioning a label in front of articles disposed on said table whereby upon forward movement of said table said label will be folded about the edges of said articles and said irons will engage said label and activate said thermoplastic coatin to secure said label to said article.

5. Apparatus for applying labels having a thermoplastic coating to articles comprising a base, a drive motor, a cam shaft rotatably supported on said base, a clutch connecting said cam shaft and said motor, a trackway disposed above said base, labels in the form of a roll of tape supported adjacent said trackway, means on said trackway for slidably receiving said tape, feeding means for said tape, drive mean including a cam on said cam shaft for operating said feeding means, means disposed adjacent the exit end of said trackway to sever individual labels from said tape, a fixed heated iron mounted on said base, a movable heated iron for cooperating with said fixed iron and a cam on said cam shaft for controlling the movement of said movable iron, a work table mounted on said base for movement toward and away from said fixed iron, a notch in the leading edge of said table in alignment with said fixed iron, means including a cam on said cam shaft to move said table and means adjacent the exit end of said trackway for pcsitioning a, label in front of articles disposed on said table whereby upon forward movement of said table said label will be folded about the edges of said articles and said irons will engage said label and activate said thermoplastic coating to secure said label to said articles.

6. Apparatus for applying labels having a thermoplastic coating to articles comprising a base, a drive motor, a cam shaft rotatably supported on said base, means connecting said cam shaft and said motor, a, trackway disposed above said base, means on said trackway for slidably receiving labels in the form of a tape, feeding means for said tape, drive means including a cam on said cam shaft for operating said feeding means, means disposed adjacent the exit end of said trackway to sever individual labels from said tape, a pair of cooperating heated irons movable toward and away from each other and a cam on said cam shaft for controlling the movement of irons, a work table mounted on said base h s; nt an at from said irons, me i on cam shaft to move table and means adjacent the exit end of ear 'raclzzvay for position-- ing a label front or" articles disposed on said table whereby upon forward oi table said label will be folded about the edges of said article and said irons will engage said label and activate said thermoplastic coating secure said label to said articles.

7. Apparatus for applying thermoplastic coating to artist base, a trackway disposed above said base, 2 on said traclzway for slidably receiving labels in the form of a tape, feeding means for said tape, drive for s fee ng means, r eans disposed at the e or" said to sever individual labels from tape, a of cooperating heated irons movable toward and away from each other means for controlli g the movement of said irons, a work table mounted on said base for movement toward and away from said irons, means to move said table and means adjacent the exit end or" traclrway for positioning a label in front of articles dis posed on said table whereby upon forward movement of said table said label will be folded about the edges of said articles and said irons will engage said label and activate said thermoplastic coating to secure said label to said articles.

8. Apparatus for applying labels having a thermoplastic coating to articles comprising a base, a traclrway above said base, means on said trackway for slidably receiving labels in a strip, feeding means for said strip, drive means for said feeding means, means adjacent the exit end of said trackway for detaching labels from said strip, a table mounted on said base for reciprocatory movement, means for moving said table, means adjacent the exit end of said trackway for positioning the label in front of articles on said table, whereby, upon movement of said table, the label will be folded about the edges of said article, heating means in the path of said article and engageable with the label for pressing the label on the article while softening said thermoplastic coating to secure the label to the article.

9. Apparatus for applying labels having a thermoplastic coating to articles comprising a a traclrway mounted on said base, means on traclzway for slidably receiving labels strip, feeding means for said strip, drive or feeding means, means adjacent end oi traclrway for detaching labels strip, a table mounted on said base orocatory movement, means for moving -V, means adjacent the exit end of said w y for positioning the label in the reciprccatory path of movement of articles on said table, W1 ereby, upon movement of said table, the label will be folded about the edges of said article, heating means in the path of said article engageable with the label for pressing the label on the article while softening said thermoplastic coating to secure the label to the article.

SHEPARD B. SCHWARTZ. JOSEPH MULLER.

References (Jilted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,454,889 Gustafson May 15, 1923 1,963,881 Edwards Aug. 7, 1934 2,059,457 Ohlsen et a1. Aug. 11, 1936 2,964,658 Grieb et al. Dec. 15, 1936 2,108,546 Ness Feb. 15, 1938 2,191,535 McNeill Feb. 27, 1940 2,267,195 Elliot Dec. 23, 1941 2,523,389 Oskow Sept. 26, 1950 2,543,323 Marsh Feb. 27, 1951 

